Solutions that don’t break the bank, reinvent the wheel or marginalize our teachers are within our grasp. We could have rigorous classes, safe and disciplined schools and treat teachers like valued colleagues rather than easily replaceable cogs, and we could do so tomorrow if we wanted. Disclaimer, this is an opinion and commentary site and should not be confused as a news site. Also know that quite often people may disagree with the opinions posted.

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Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Bullies masquerading as Principals given notice in Duval County

A lack of effective and fair leadership has handicapped our schools for the past half dozen years or so. I can’t say it started when Ed Pratt Dannals became superintendent, though he exasperated the problems, promoting people based on skin color and who they knew rather than ability and I can’t say the district doesn't have any good leaders among it’s principal and assistant principal ranks, though to be honest anyone that came up under Pratt-Dannals should be examined.

Many of these poor leaders used intimidation tactics, cajoling and bullying their staffs while simultaneously they allowed the inmates to run the asylums. Children devoid of a work ethic and consequences roamed many of our schools halls stopping teachers from teaching and other children from leaning with nary a slap on the wrist.

Well friends if what happened today at Southside Middle is a sign of the times then things may finally be looking up for many of the district's and teachers and students. A team of distinct personnel at a staff meeting informed the administration that children from this point on will have consequences for bad behavior and the wholesale disrespect and intimidation of teachers at the hands of the administrative staff would be coming to an end.

Where this is long overdue and seems like common sense, it is steps like these that need to be repeated throughout the district if the county ever wants to reach the potential it has.

4 comments:

What happened at Southside Middle School will continue to be an anomaly as long as Joey Wise's legacy principals are allowed to continue to run rampant. It is apparent that these folks had incriminating photos of Ed Pratt-Dannals and apparently have the same sway with the new superintendent. Duval County will continue to be a joke in Northeast Florida as long as it continues to allow a few bad apples to bully their peers AND their teachers. This is pathetic. Instead of focusing on making our schools safer, these same administrators are more interested in making sure that bulletin boards are perfect and then we are so shocked that the exodus of students to private and charter schools continues. This is pathetic.

The Principal Darrell Perry and Vice Principal Ivey Howard are GREAT GUYS. They do not beat up on their teachers. That said, they let the kids get away from them to where they were running the school and the teachers were all scared. there wasn't any discipline or backing teachers up. But they did not fuck with us or bully us or stab us in the back. Really nice people in so far as Principals can be nice. But completely ineffective when it comes to discipline of students.

We are well on our way to having a crisis in this county when it comes to leadership in the schools. There are too many people teaching the minimum three years and moving into administration. I'm sure some of these people can grow to be effective leaders, but they lack an in-depth understanding of how a classroom works and what it is like to teach. Instead of recruiting talented and capable master teachers to go into administration we defer to whoever has an "ed. leadership" degree, regardless of whether they were effective teachers or not. Perhaps if master teachers were identified and given training opportunities we could create a new cadre of teacher leaders instead of the "business model" school leaders we have in many schools today.

I can't believe I stumbled across this! The same thing is happening at my school. A first-year administrator w/ 3 yrs. teaching. Just too young...acts like a child herself. She grew up in the age of bullies. No knowledge, just hubris!

The principal came up in the EPD years. Lies and cheats about EVERYTHING! Hides behavioral data. Animals are running the zoo.